This paper aims to raise some difficulties inherent in the status of Saussure’s “work”. Having published little, but written much, Saussure has left us (together with his theories) a philological problem ... [more ▼]

This paper aims to raise some difficulties inherent in the status of Saussure’s “work”. Having published little, but written much, Saussure has left us (together with his theories) a philological problem which is far from being resolved – most of his manuscripts (90% approximately) remaining unpublished, and most of his ideas have remained unfinished. We intend to highlight the need to take explicitly, in editing and transmitting Saussurean “ideas” and “work”, a coherent set of philological principles, fit for showing the state of the this particular “text” without distortion. [less ▲]